Rishi Kumar Nair (born 22 January 1991) is an English actor. On television, he is known for his role in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks (2017–2021) and the ITVX comedy Count Abdulla (2023). He is set to star in the ninth series of the ITV detective drama Grantchester (2024).
Rishi Nair | |
|---|---|
 Nair at the 2022 British Soap Awards | |
| Born | Rishi Kumar Nair 22 January 1991 Ealing, London, England |
| Years active | 2013–present |
Early life edit
Nair was born in the West London Borough of Ealing.[1]
Career edit
Nair made his television debut in 2015 with appearances episodes of the BBC One police procedurals Silent Witness and New Tricks. He also had stage roles in The Jungle Book at the Emporium Theatre in Brighton,[2] The Sawyer Studies at the Etcetera Theatre in London,[3] and Bring on the Bollywood at Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.[4] He appeared in the independent films I'm Still Here (2013), The Forbidden Note (2016), and Retribution (2017).
Also in 2017, Nair joined the cast of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as lawyer Sami Maalik, a new member of the Maalik family, making his debut in September 2017.[5][6] For his performance, Nair was shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the 2018 Inside Soap Awards. He exited the soap at the end of 2021 after four years.[7]
After leaving Hollyoaks, Nair appeared in the 2022 comedy film Brian and Charles[8] and had guest roles in the Acorn TV crime drama Whitstable Pearl and the Netflix series Treason. In 2023, Nair played Maajid in the ITVX vampire sitcom Count Abdulla.[9] In July 2023, it was announced Nair would join the cast of the ITV detective drama Grantchester for its ninth series[10] as vicar Alphy Kottaram, replacing the outgoing Tom Brittney (who plays Reverend Will Davenport) in the main ensemble.[11]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | I'm Still Here | Visitor | |
| 2016 | The Forbidden Note | Ali | |
| 2017 | Retribution | Rohit | |
| 2022 | Brian and Charles | Stephen Alderton |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Silent Witness | Dean's Heavy | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | New Tricks | AJ Da Silva | Episode: "Prodigal Sons" |
| 2017–2021 | Hollyoaks | Sami Maalik | 256 episodes |
| 2020 | The Duchess | Receptionist | 1 episode |
| 2022 | Whitstable Pearl | Adnan | Episode: "To Those We Love" |
| 2022 | Treason | Met Officer | 1 episode |
| 2023 | Count Abdulla | Maajid | 5 episodes |
| 2024 | Grantchester | Alphy Kotteram | Main role |
| TBA | The Marlow Murder Club | Shamil Malik | |
| TBA | Romeo Hotel Eleven | Jaye |
Stage edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Jungle Book | Shere Khan | Emporium Theatre, Brighton |
| 2015 | The Sawyer Studies | Connor | Etcetera Theatre, London |
| 2016 | Bring on the Bollywood | Amit | Belgrade Theatre, Coventry |
Awards and nominations edit
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Newcomer | Hollyoaks | Nominated | [12] |
| 2019 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Actor | Hollyoaks | Nominated | [13] |
| 2020 | 25th National Television Awards | Serial Drama Performance | Hollyoaks | Nominated | [14] |
References edit
- ^ Kapoor, Bhavya (13 July 2023). "Grantchester season 9: Who is Rishi Nair? Meet the actor who plays Will Davenport's successor". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Besemar, Besi (12 July 2015). "REVIEW: The Jungle Book at Emporium". Scene Magazine. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Eastham, Terry (2 December 2015). "The Sawyer Studies at the Etcetera Theatre – Review". London Theatre. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Peterson, Tyler (11 April 2016). "Phizzical's BRING ON THE BOLLYWOOD to Play Belgrade Theatre". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (21 September 2017). "Hollyoaks newbie Rishi Nair promises a big revenge plot for Sami Maalik". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Shah, Pooja (10 September 2021). "3 South Asian Film and TV Stars Share the Challenges They've Faced Breaking Into the Industry". PopSugar. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (17 December 2021). "Hollyoaks exit confirmed for Sami Maalik as Rishi Nair bows out". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ "Rishi Nair". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Rashid, Haroon (13 June 2023). "Count Abdulla actor Rishi Nair". BBC Asian Network. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Bull, Megan (19 July 2023). "Grantchester's Rishi Nair shares exciting update on series nine after joining the cast". Hello!. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (12 July 2023). "'Grantchester': Tom Brittney To Leave Masterpiece Series; Rishi Nair Joins Cast As New Vicar". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (16 October 2018). "Coronation Street tops Inside Soap Awards 2018 shortlist with 18 nominations". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Inside Soap Awards 2019 longlist has been revealed". Digital Spy. July 2019.
- ^ Harp, Justin (15 October 2019). "Love Island, Emmerdale, Killing Eve, Drag Race UK and more land National Television Awards longlist nominations". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
External links edit
- Rishi Nair at IMDb